That Fateful Day
by Erin1983
Summary: ON HOLD CHAPTER 5 OUT! They have always needed each other...but the one day that Lucy needed Kevin the most he wasn't there...and now as she struggles to survive...he watches helplessly beside her.
1. Late Mornings

**A/N: I don't own 7th heaven but I do own the characters that you don't recognize, but I do happen to own George Stults World so don't sue me if you want money because that's something I don't have!**

**A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie right there)**

**A/N: Thanks to my lovely co-author Betsy (star2717-she happens to write an awesome Harry Potter Fan Fic) and to my beta Sara (Shouhei- who happens to be writing two awesome GG Fan Fics especially a troy and an awesome 7th Heaven Story as well)**

**A/N: The rest of this chapter was written at my work today (5/4/04) in under an hour! I was so proud of myself…all of a sudden the idea came to me and I had to write it down! I'm so proud of this chapter to!**

**A/N: I don't have any 1-year-old cousins living around me anymore so I'm not sure what 1-year-olds are suppose to be able to say…so don't laugh at what was written!**

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Lucy woke up to hear the shower running in the master bathroom. She smiled with her eyes still closed. She knew what time it was without looking at the clock…Kevin was always up by 5 am since he had taken that new promotion.

She flopped back into bed closing her eyes hoping to catch some extra sleep because she knew that in about ten minutes the twins would be waking up.

She must have dozed off longer than she had expected…the shower wasn't running and because she could hear squeals coming from the twin's bedroom.

She smiled shaking her head back and forth as she got up and pulled her bathrobe over Kevin's stolen tee shirt and a pair of holey boxers and walked out into the hallway.

She peeked her head inside the room and laughed…Luke and Abby were trying to dress themselves while Kevin was pretending to take a nap on the floor.

"Kevin Kinkirk! What are you doing on the floor?"

"What?"

"I said what are you doing on the floor while Luke and Abby are making a mess of their room!" laughing as she got onto the floor and crawled over to where Kevin was laying.

"Mommy!!!" the twins squealed as they jumped on top of both Lucy and Kevin.

"Oof" was all that came out of Kevin.

"What's wrong old man? Can't handle having two one-year-olds jump on you? She teased giving him a soft butterfly kiss, dodging her way out of getting jumped onto again. She watched Luke and Abby jump on top of Kevin and try to wrestle him.

She watched her husband and their two children fight with each other. She couldn't believe how three years have gone by for Kevin and herself…it seemed like only yesterday they had been married…while it seemed like an eternity since she had Luke and Abby.

Lovingly she picked Abby off of her fathers lap and cuddled with her for a few minutes watching Luke and Kevin "beat" each other up. She brushed the long dark brown curls out of her daughters face. For Luke and Abby, both being part of Lucy and Kevin they resembled their father the most. Abby had inherited Kevin's dark brown hair and his warm chocolate eyes while Luke had gotten Lucy's piercing blue eyes and Kevin's dark brown hair as well.

"Momma?" a soft little voice said snapping Lucy back to reality.

"What sweetie?" she replied staring into her little girls chocolate colored eyes.

"Daddy's tummy noises" Abby giggled rubbing her stomach and then crawling over to where Luke and Kevin where on the floor resting after a "father/son" wrestling match and patted Kevin's stomach as well.

Lucy looked at Kevin who had an innocent look on his face…she knew he was up to something because he never helped her dress Luke and Abby in the morning…but now she was sure something was up.

"Is that so Abby Gabby? Well I guess you and I will have to go make breakfast for daddy won't we?" she asked her daughter getting off the floor and reaching for Abby's hand.

"Luey to?" the small child asked trying hard to pronounce her brothers name.

"Of course!! We can't forget Luke now can we?" she laughed leading Abby out into the hallway before she ventured back into the twin's room.

"Make sure when you dress him to change his diaper…the last time you forgot and he had diaper rash…oh yeah and make sure this time he has MATCHING clothes on and not stripes with dots…like you did the last time" she teased her husband before walking back out into the hallway and picking up their daughter to start making breakfast before their normal routines got changed.

Kevin stood up and walked to the door and watched his wife walk with their daughter. Lucy, Abby and Luke were the most precious things in his life right now and he thanked god every day for giving them to him.

"Daddy" a little voice said tugging on his PJ pant leg

"What is it squirt?" he asked using Luke's nickname that Matt, Lucy's older brother gave to him when he was born.

"Dress" the little boy said holding a pair of shorts and pants in both hands.

Kevin just laughed as he bent down and picked up Luke who squealed with happiness.

"Come on slugger, let's go get you changed and then we can go see what mommy and Abby are doing"

"Food"

"That's right…they are making us breakfast…I bet mommy is making something special just for you" Kevin told his son re-entering his room and setting him in his crib while he grabbed a set of clothes Lucy had laid out the night before.

"Be-be too?" Luke asked trying hard to pronounce his sisters name.

"Be-be to…now lift your hands in the air where I can see them squirt" he said while Luke's hands shot up straight in the air. For Luke only being a year old he sure understood "police" lingo that Kevin sometimes used when he was around them trying to get them to laugh.

Downstairs after Lucy had placed Abby into her height chair and gave her plastic cups and rings to play with she started to search around the cupboards trying to find something the twins could eat that was fast enough but not messy.

She finally found what she was looking for…easy to make oatmeal in the twin's favorite flavor…plain with a few raisins spread around like a smile. She grabbed two packets and ripped them open dumping them into a blue bowl for Luke and a fire engine red bowl for Abby, added some water and threw them into the microwave when she heard a thundering noise coming from the living room stairs.

"Kevin! What are you two doing?" she yelled

"Nothing" he grinned, walking into the kitchen with Luke who was gripping his police uniform was on his shoulders. He lifted Luke off his shoulders and plopped him into the other highchair and opened up the refrigerator and grabbed the milk jug and set it on the counter. He grabbed a blue and red sippy cup and poured the milk and placed them in front of the twins.

"Thanks" she told him taking out both bowls of oatmeal and setting it on the counter and placing the raisins in a smiley face and handed them to Kevin.

"If I don't get a shower in right now I won't be able to take one after you leave for work…don't forget to turn on their tape while they are eating their breakfast…we don't want crabby kids tonight" she laughed walking out of the kitchen leaving Kevin to fend for himself again.

Twenty minutes later after Lucy took her shower and got dressed she walked over to the dresser that both her and Kevin shared and opened the top left drawer and pulled out a small white jewelry box.

She lifted the top to reveal a white gold hand made cross that Kevin had given to her the day they had gotten married and started to put it around her neck.

The part of the cross that went from left to right held Kevin's birthstone, her birthstone and a very small but crystal clear diamond that signified the month that they had become husband and wife.

The other part of the cross that went up and down held two birthstones that signified the birth of Abby and Luke.

She remembered the day Kevin had surprised her with the cross. It was the day after Abby and Luke had been born and he showed up unexpectedly at her hospital room with the small box. He told her that she had given him the best gift he could have ever imagined.

Since the day he had given it to her she has never taken it off except for when she went to bed because she felt safe with Kevin sleeping next to her in their room.

Luke and Abby's giggles and screams brought her back to the present. She looked over at the alarm clocked and realized that if she didn't hurry everyone would be running late.

She grabbed her psychology, sociology and child developed books and shoved them into her backpack and ran down the stairs to relieve Kevin from watching the twins so he could get to work on time.

"Momma" Luke and Abby giggled, smacking their oatmeal encrusted lips together.

"Aren't you two a mess! Did daddy let you guys feed yourself again?" she laughed reaching for the dry washcloth and turning the kitchen faucet on.

Kevin on the other hand got up from his seat and cleaned up the kitchen table, placing the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

He paused in back of his two kids and kissed them both on top of their heads. He moved the highchairs so there was enough space that he could fit into so they could kiss him on each side of his face.

"Bye munchkins"

"Bye-bye daddy"

"Be good for grandma and grandpa today" he told them getting off the ground.

"Ok" they replied in unison turning their attentions back to Dora the Explorer video that they **HAD **to watch every single morning.

"What time do you think you will be home tonight?" Lucy asked him wiping her wet hands on a clean, dry dish towel.

"Same time as usual…why? He asked her curiously, grabbing his car keys.

"Well…I was thinking…that maybe you and I could have dinner alone tonight…just the two of us…my mom offered to keep the twins overnight since they haven't slept over there in a while"

"Sounds like fun" he replied placing an arm around her waist and kissing her intimately before it was broken by the sounds of "ewwww" and they both started to laugh.

"Remind me who taught them that?"

"Sam and David…Why?"

"So I know who's neck to ring when I see them next" he joked grabbing her hand and squeezing it softly before he kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight…Mrs. Kinkirk" he told her softly before going through the back door.

Her face flushed with embarrassment when she realized that the twins had no idea what he had said.

"Come on you two…let's get going…grandma and grandpa is waiting for us" she told them lifting both of them out of the highchairs and the same time and setting them on the floor.

"Grawnpa and grawma house?" Abby repeated walking towards the back door.

"Yeah…and guess what? You and Luke are going to stay the night with grandma and grandpa " Lucy told excitedly to both of them, opening the back door and pushing them out the door.

"Night?" Luke asked dragging his toe along the grass towards Lucy's black Chevy Trailblazer.

"Night" Abby echoed her brother while Lucy picked her up and opened the back seat and placed her into the car seat.

"Yep, you two are going to say the night with grandma, grandpa, Aunt Ruthie, Uncle David and Uncle Sam" she told them shutting the passenger side door that Abby was on and walked over to the drivers side back door, opened it and placed Luke in his car seat as well.

"Rufie?" the little girls reply came.

"Yep, Aunt Ruthie is going to be there too" she told them shutting the back door and hoping into the drivers seat.

She started the car and looked in her rear view mirror and placed the car into reverse and backed out the driveway and drove away towards Glenoak.

Standing behind a single bush, hidden from the human eye, near the Kinkirk's backyard was a man…he had been listening to her conversation and watching her every move…he knew that tonight would be the night he would get what he wanted…and nothing would stand in his way.


	2. Surveying

**A/N: I don't own 7th heaven but I do own the characters that you don't recognize, but I do happen to own George Stults World so don't sue me if you want money because that's something I don't have!**

**A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie right there)**

**A/N: Thanks to my lovely co-author Betsy (star2717-she happens to write an awesome Harry Potter Fan Fic) and to my beta Sara (Shouhei- who happens to be writing two awesome GG Fan Fics especially a troy and an awesome 7th Heaven Story as well)**

**A/N: I'm so sorry for taking such a long time to update!!! Please forgive me!!!**

As soon as Lucy left the driveway and he knew she was gone, he stood up and started to survey the backyard of the Kinkirk home. He had a job that needed to be done so it was only fair that he would check out the place. After hearing the conversation between Lucy and her two kids, he knew that they were going to stay at their grandparent's house tonight, which would make this job a lot easier than what he had previously thought.

It had taken him almost three years to track these people down…every night up until the night he finally found out where they lived, he searched through endless amounts of paperwork.

It had taken him just under 6 months to keep track of their movements, their schedules and even the times that they went to bed and got up. He wasn't a pervert or anything…he just wanted what that women had…her necklace.

He leaned against the part of the house where he was hidden from neighbors who would wonder what he was up to. All he had been thinking about for the last 6 months was that stupid necklace…and it was all because of the stupid cop who bought it.

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_Brad had been working at Waterfall Jewelers for three years when a cop had pulled into their parking lot. _

_There had recently been a rash of break-ins in Glenoak which of course he was responsible for. He thought he had gotten away with it until the cop walked into his store. His hands started to sweat and he started to pace back and forth trying to think of a good reason to leave when he heard Kim approach the officer._

_"Good afternoon sir is there anything that I can help you with?" she asked him sweetly._

_"Actually, I'm looking for a gift…a gift for my fiancé…you know a wedding gift" he told her walking around looking at the display cases of necklaces and chains._

_Brad peeked around the corner checking out the cop and breathed a sigh of relief…he wasn't there to arrest him…he was there to buy a stupid gift for his fiancé._

_"Well you have come to the right place" he heard Kim chuckle at the cop. _

_He decided that this was going to be one interesting customer to watch, so he positioned himself behind the jewelry repair counter hidden by the wall to listen in on their conversation._

_He watched Kim walk over to her drawer and pull out a set of keys and a show pad just incase the officer wanted to see something. _

_He watched him walk along the display cases until he came to a stop at the hand made cross displays…that was when he knew he had found something._

_"Find something?" she asked walking over to see what he was staring intently at._

_'Yes, actually I have…the sign says that you guys hand make these" he told her pointing out the hand made white gold crosses through the display case._

_"We sure do…is there one you are interested in particularly?"_

_"That one…right there…it's perfect for my fiancé…she is in seminary school and this would defiantly be the perfect gift" Kevin told her chuckling to what he just said and reached for his wallet._

_Kim laughed along with him before she turned around and grabbed an order form and a pen…she had a feeling this was going to be one of her better sales of the day._

_"Is there anyway way you can have birthstones added to the cross?" he asked her setting his wallet on the counter._

_"Yes, you can have anything you want added to your order…but it will cost an extra $200 per birthstone for that particular cross sir" Kim replied writing down the SKU number for the cross Kevin had picked out._

_"Money's no option for my Lucy" Kevin replied whipping out a credit card and handing it over to Kim._

_Brad's ears perked up as soon as Kevin spoke those words._

_"BINGO" he thought to himself…a cop with money was a careless cop when it came to his home_.

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He ended up walking over towards one of the fisher price play area things trying to figure out the perfect escape plan after he had taken the necklace. He walked up to the sliding glass door and jiggled the handle to see if it was unlocked…but as usual it wasn't.

Already starting to get pissed, he reached for his wallet that was in his back left packet and pulled it out. He dug around for a few seconds before he produced what was needed…a lock pick.

He started to pick at the lock when he heard the familiar "click" that signaled he had successfully unlocked the sliding glass door. He tugged on the handle…one, two, three more times and it wouldn't budge.

"Damn" he swore under his breath when he realized why the door wouldn't budge.

That damn cop was smarter than he had thought…he had placed a 4x4 board in front of the track.

"Son of a bitch" he yelled out loud kicking the side of the house. He was pissed…he needed to get into that house to steal the necklace…and now his only way in was blocked…he needed another way to get in…to get that stupid necklace.

That was when he realized he had a perfect plan…something that he never would have come up with if it hadn't been for yesterday's paper.

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Lucy put her right foot to the gas…thanks to the morning train she was late dropping Luke and Abby off at her parents house.

"Momma?" her little girls voice interrupted her thoughts

"What is it sweetie?" she replied looking at Abby in the rear view mirror.

"Daddy gone bye-bye?" she asked looking out the window.

"Daddy went to work…remember?" Lucy reminded her daughter adoringly as she pulled onto Alta Road…where her parents have lived for the last 28 years…almost as old as her older brother Matt was.

She heard squeals of excitement from the back seat and she knew they spotted Annie and Eric's house up ahead and laughed...they were the only kids out of the Camden clad who were always happy to see grandma and grandpa's house.

She flipped her blinker on waiting to turn into their driveway when she heard a little voice from behind.

"Potty" Luke told her with a big smile on his face when she looked in the rearview mirror.

"Ohhh…Luke…" she sighed pulling into her parent's driveway and putting the car into park.

Annie who had been waiting patiently walked out onto the front porch as soon as Lucy had pulled into their driveway.

"Need some help?" she yelled across the yard.

"Yeah, I'm running late thanks to the stupid train" Lucy yelled back opening the back driver's side door to get Abby out of her car seat.

Annie walked down the front porch steps and over to the back passenger side door and opened it to help Lucy out by getting Luke.

Lucy who had already grabbed the overnight/diaper bags closed the door and walked around the car holding Abby's hand.

"Thanks mom" she sighed guiding Abby up the steps, when she heard the screen door open.

"Gwanpa" Abby said cheerfully letting go of Lucy's hand and walking towards Eric.

"Hey Luce…are you late again?" Eric teased scooping Abby up in his arms and taking the diaper bags from Lucy.

"Yes, first Kevin decided to try and dress the twins himself instead of waking me up when he should of, and then the stupid Amtrak train decided to break down on Scott Lake Rd this morning…so the answer to your question would be…yes I'm late" she answered blowing the bangs out of her face…stupid hair…she was suppose to have gotten it cut yesterday but Kevin didn't come home in time for her appointment.

"So that's why Luke has one blue and one pink sock on" Annie laughed showing Lucy the socks.

"Thanks again for keeping them overnight…we both appreciate it a lot…and don't forget to change Luke diaper!!" she told her parents kissing both of her kids on the top of their heads before she headed off the porch.

"Bye Abby, Bye Luke…be good for grandma and grandpa" she yelled to her two kids sprinted towards the car and hoping in.

She buckled her seat belt, started the car and looked at the clock…it was 8:55 and she had only 10 minutes before her class started.

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Kevin pulled into the Glenoak PD parking lot…and already there was chaos with the construction that was going on. They were adding on to the PD department building and the parking lot was tore up…which meant no parking which usually meant that it was going to be a long day but smiled to himself thinking of what was waiting for him when he got home.

15 minutes after pulling into the parking lot he finally arrived at his desk only to see someone occupying his chair…Roxanne Richardson

"Richardson get out of my chair" he told her running his fingers through his hair.

"Nope…can't…I was told to sit here until you came in…which by the way do you know you are exactly 15 minutes late?" she teased getting out of his chair.

"How do you always manage to find a parking spot?"

"I always get here in plenty of time…I'm never late" she mocked, sitting down at her desk that was opposite of his.

"Yeah…well you don't have two one-year old twins and a crazy wife at home do you?"

When she just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to a folder that she started to read he knew that he had won that comeback contest.

He threw his stuff into the bottom drawer and sat down…just in time for Captain Michaels to come walk over to their desk with Dylan Spencer…an old partner of Kevin's before he was assigned with Roxanne.

"Kinkirk, Richardson… Spencer is going to work with both of you on the Williams case"

"What for?" Kevin questioned looking up from his paperwork

"It's been 6 months since their house has gotten broken into…we need to solve it before another house gets hit" Captain Michaels replied leaving them alone to stare at one another.

"Where do we start?" Roxanne wanted to know.

"Well…I guess we could go interview them again…who knows maybe they remembered something" Dylan responded flipping through the file that Captain Michaels left.

"Works for me" Roxanne answered grabbing her jacket.

"Same here" Kevin added reaching down for his jacket when he groaned.

"Wouldn't you know…I left my jacket at the house…can we swing by to let me pick it up?

"Kinkirk!" Roxanne exclaimed rolling her eyes walking towards the exit sign.

"Well…the William's only live a few streets down from Luce and me…so it's not like it would be a hassle"

"Well it's a pain in the ass for me" she shot back pushing the doors out to reveal a dark and dreary looking sky.

"Knock it off you two" joked Dylan…he had been partners with Kevin before he got the promotion to detective and worked with both Kevin and Roxanne three years ago on another case and he never knew two partners who teased and joked around as much as they did.

"Yeah, knock it off Kinkirk" Roxanne retorted, walking over to their squad car and opening the passenger side.

"Hey what is this? Gang up on Kevin day or something?" he asked innocently looking between both Dylan and Roxanne.

"It's gonna rain and I don't want to drive…so it's your job" she told him leaning up against the opened door.

"I'm always the one driving…how come you never drive?" he whined, joking around with her as he hopped into the squad car.

"Because I'm a girl" she answered proudly before Dylan busted out laughing from the backseat.

'I'm so glad I was assigned to you guys, you two make my job 100 times easier" he chuckled.

"That's great to know Spence…but we really don't care" Roxanne told him seriously before catching Kevin's eye and couldn't take it anymore…her shoulders started to shake with laughter and pretty soon the whole squad car was joining in.

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15 minutes later on the outskirts of Glenoak in a small town called Stoney Creek. Kevin, Roxanne and Dylan turned onto Baybrooke Drive, where Lucy and Kevin lived.

As Kevin drove around to 2421 Baybrooke Drive, when he noticed that the same dark blue Honda civic was still sitting across from their driveway.

"That's odd" he thought to himself pulling into his driveway…that car was there when he left for work this morning and it was there the day before that and the day before that.

"I'll have to take a look at it when I come home" he suddenly said out loud to the two other passengers in the quad car.

"Take a look at what?" Roxanne asked curiously.

"That Honda that's parked on the street, every time I leave for work it's there and every time I come home it's there"

"How long has it been there for?" Dylan asked the detective in him was already starting to show interest

"A few days or so…" Kevin slowly answered back trying to recall.

"Maybe it's a neighbor's car?" Roxanne suggested

"No…I don't think so…It's been here almost every day this week and every day last week" Kevin replied putting the squad car into park.

Roxanne frowned as she stared at the old rust dark blue Civic…there was something about that car that didn't seem right…oh well…maybe it was just the Character profiling in her that was starting to show up.

What the three didn't see was a man walking quickly out of the Kinkirk's back yard and darting towards the sidewalk…

"I'll be a sec" Kevin told Dylan and Roxanne opening the squad car's driver side door.

He walked up to the garage and grabbed his keys out from his pant's pocket and unlocked the door.

He walked through the garage almost tripping over Abby and Luke's outside toys a couple of times…he made a mental note to remind Lucy to buy some Rubbermaid containers for their toys.

He got to the door that went from the garage to the house and unlocked it.

Stepping into his house he glanced at the laundry room out of habit that was to the left of him before walking into the family room looking for his jacket.

Walking towards the kitchen he spotted it on the kitchen chair where he had been sitting that morning watching the twins feed themselves…rolling his eyes he grabbed it when something caught his eye…

The sliding glass door was unlocked…which was odd because both himself and Lucy always remembered to lock it when they left the house…even if they were going down the street they always locked it

With a sigh he walked over and locked the sliding glass door before heading towards the back door. He stopped and turned around and walked back into the kitchen tearing off a piece of paper that was on the refrigerator door and started to leave Lucy a note.

_Luce, _the note started out.

_Don't forget to lock the sliding door when you leave next time…I don't need anyone stealing my wife from me_ he wrote and put a little smiley face next to it before adding the next section.

_I'll see you when I get home tonight…I won't be late I promise!_

_Love, Kevin_ he signed his name and started to leave when he forgot his jacket that was sitting on the counter and raced out of the house locking the doors as he exited.

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Watching the cop race out of his house gave Brad the satisfaction that he needed…not only had he figured out an escape route while the stupid cop was in his house…he also figured out a way to get in the house…not illegally either…he was going to be invited into the house.

Walking down the sidewalk with his hands in his pocket he paced back and forth until the cop and his little posse left…Brad didn't want to take any chances of that cop catching him in his Honda…or else the cop might become to suspicious and want to strike up conversation…which always left Brad uneasy when cops did that.

Looking behind him one last time making sure that the cop was gone for good he walked over to this car and opened the drivers side door and got in and closed the door…the first thing he grabbed was yesterday's morning news…with Lucy Camden-Kinkirk and her father Rev. Eric Camden on the front page…

Chuckling to himself he realized that for once in his life…this job was going to be the easiest yet.


	3. Easy In, Easy Out

**A/N: I don't own 7th heaven but I do own George Stults World so don't sue me if you want money because that's something I don't have!**

**A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie right there)**

**A/N: Thanks to my lovely Beta –** **Shouhei**** for lending and giving me her lovely hand in writing and for being a super sweet co-author!**

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Staring at the two day old front page of the Glenoak News, Brad couldn't take it anymore…he had written and memorized everything that he was going to tonight.

Hours of reading the same damn article over and over again made him get even angrier.

At least he knew what he was going to be up against tonight…some silly little preacher girl to be who wouldn't dare hurt a fly.

He scrolled his eyes down to the bottom of the page to read the last quote that was being told by the Reverends daughter.

_"Growing up with a family of seven isn't always easy but when your father is a minister and is always still willing to help someone in need he wouldn't hesitate for a minute to offer them a hot meal and a place to stay for the night and I plan on following his footsteps and doing the same thing"_

Folding the newspaper back into the four squares where he found it, Brad threw it across his kitchen table…he didn't want to look at that article anymore…it just made him sick with envy and disgust.

Grabbing his coffee mug he got up and walked not even two feet towards his bedroom in the swanky little apartment he had been living in for the last few years…he had a job that needed to be done tonight so he needed to catch up on his sleep.

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Lucy looked anxiously at her watch…she had less than 15 minutes until her psychology class was over so she could escape and get over to the grocery store in time to get everything that she needed for dinner.

Luckily for her the professor decided to let them out early because of a potential serve thunderstorm that was heading towards Glenoak.

Lucy gathered up all of her things and headed towards the exit out to student parking lot F. Grabbing her keys and clicking the unlock button to the Trailblazer.

Throwing her book bag in the passenger seat and slamming the door shut she put the key into the ignition and drove off towards the only grocery store in Glenoak, with only thoughts of tonight in her head.

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"Hey Kinkirk" Kevin heard someone yell his name.

He turned around and rolled his eyes…he knew he should have known that it was the voice of the one and the only Roxanne.

"What do you want Richardson?" he teased.

Roxanne sauntered towards him with a sly grin on her face "I need something" she said innocently batting her eyelashes at him.

He rolled his eyes again at her pathetic attempt to be "sexy" Roxanne instead of "pain in the ass" Roxanne.

"What in the world could you possible need from me?"

Roxanne tried to give him a sexy grin but instead laughter rang out. "I need to know if your wife is meeting me for tonight for pizza…I'm quite bored with being home with my dad since he retired…all he does is play computer games all day long…seriously that man either needs to find himself a women or get a life" she chuckled.

Kevin just shook his head trying to decide if he should laugh or just walk away…he didn't want to spoil her mood because he knew it was Dylan Spencer that had made her the way she was now.

"Actually I don't think Lucy is available tonight Richardson…she and I have something planned" he told her slamming his locker door shut with a big grin on his face.

A huge grin popped out onto Roxanne's face "Oh really?" she purred.

Kevin rolled his eyes and started to walk not wanting to make a comment when he heard her run up besides him.

"Do you guys think you can make your date a double date?"

"No, this is the first time we have been alone since Luke and Abby have been born"

"Please?" Roxanne begged stepping in front of the door so Kevin couldn't get out.

Kevin sighed and started to open his mouth but closed it instead when he got an idea.

"I'll think about it while we are on duty" he told her spotting the one person that would help get Roxanne off his back.

"Hey Spencer" he yelled across the room to Dylan.

"Yeah?"

"Come here for a sec"

Rolling his eyes at Kevin, Dylan walked over and joined Kevin and Roxanne.

"What's up?"

Kevin turned away from Roxanne with a plan forming in his head.

"Lucy and I have plans tonight and Lucy being a ditz, told Roxanne that she would have pizza with her tonight as well…but Lucy just called me and told me that she completely forgot about our plans and that for me to tell Roxanne that she was canceling on her" Kevin kidded with him.

Kevin could see Roxanne shooting daggers through her eyes but he didn't care…he needed to leave and meet Lucy at home.

"What does that have to do with me?" Dylan questioned.

"Well I was thinking since it looks like we might be working a lot closer and you were just complaining to me 10 minutes ago about how you had nothing planned so maybe you two could get together and eat dinner together"

Dylan thought for a minute before he spoke "Actually that's a great idea" he said turning towards Roxanne "Are you up to that as well?"

Roxanne blushed from ear to ear before she said anything "Sure…I get off in like 10 minutes if you want to meet me at the Pool hall around 5:30?"

Dylan smiled "sounds like a plan" he replied looking at his watch. "I have some paperwork that needs to be filled out before I go so if I'm going to meet you there on time I guess I'd better go" and with that he turned around and walked out the doors towards his office.

Kevin started to walk way when a female's hand grabbed his shirt sleeve.

"What the hell were you thinking Kinkirk?" he heard Roxanne hiss at him.

"That I needed you to get off my back" he kidded

"You didn't have to do that" she responded back.

"Do what?" he told her looking innocent as they walked back to their desks.

"Set me up on a date with him"

"I didn't set anything up…you guys both happened to be bored tonight so I put two and two together"

"Kinkirk…why I outta" Roxanne started to say before Captain Michaels interrupted her.

**_

* * *

_**

Lucy was rushing to get out of the grocery store…she needed to get home as fast as possible and start dinner before Kevin came home.

Grabbing a package of chicken she was on her ways towards the registers when she heard it…a loud crack of thunder.

Biting down hard on her lip she tried to convince herself that she was just hearing things. Rarely in her lifetime had she seen a thunderstorm in Glenoak. The few months she lived in New York she witnessed several terrible ones, but California hardly ever got them.

But wait!! She heard it again…another crack of thunder. Sighing as she walked slowly towards the registers she thought that maybe her time alone with Kevin wasn't meant to be…and maybe she should go get the twin's from her mom's house and have a family dinner.

Standing in line she watched the lighting dance across the darkened sky and when it was her time to check out it had already started to rain…no actually it had started to pour.

Holding on to her purse and the plastic bags that carried the groceries she ran with all her might towards the Trailblazer only to be soaked from head to toe by the time she jumped into the drivers seat.

Taking her time to get home, 15 minutes later she arrived at home, pulling into the garage with the rain still pouring and the sky still as black as night.

Grabbing the groceries and her purse she got out and opened the back door that lead to the house, closing the garage door behind her.

Setting her purse on the hook and taking the groceries towards the island that was in the middle of the kitchen she started to look around for a pan to start boiling the potatoes in…she was in a mood today that could not be broken and for that she was going to make Kevin's favorite dish…mashed potatoes with cheese.

Cutting the plastic off the chicken she placed them onto a pan and started to make a mixture of spices that both she and Kevin loved to put on top of the chicken.

After spreading the mixture she set the oven for 350 degrees and placed the chicken in so it could start to bake right away.

She stopped herself short when her mind drifted over to her two children and how they were reacting to the rain.

She picked up the phone and pressed the speed dial button and waited for the call to connect.

She heard the phone ring four times before someone picked up the phone and answered "Hello?"

"Simon?"

"Hey Luce" she heard her brother greet her on the other line.

"What are you doing home from school?"

"Taking a break…" he replied.

"From what?" She wanted to know.

"Finals…I had them all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and since today is Thursday and I have no classes today or tomorrow I figured I'd come home from the weekend and get away from all the crazy students who are still studying" he laughed.

Lucy laughed with him "Are mom and dad home?"

"Nope…they took Abby and Luke to see some kid movie at the movie theater"

"Oh" she replied disappointingly.

"What's wrong? Is not talking to your younger brother not good enough for you these days?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes before retorting back "Wait until you have kids Simon and then you will know what it's like" she stated simply.

"I already know what it feels like remember? I have three younger siblings, two nephews and a niece" he kidded.

"How's Amy doing these days?"

"She's fine but busy…she got accepted into Law school so in August she's going to UCLA" he replied talking to Lucy about his girlfriend.

"Have you talked to Cecilia lately?"

"No…not really…since her and John broke up she won't talk to me…for some reason I feel she is blaming me for the breakup"

"Don't worry about it Simon…give her a while to cool down and then maybe she'll come back" she told him.

"I know I keep praying to god that—"he started to say when call waiting cut in.

"Hold on for a sec Simon…I got a call on the other line…actually I'll call you back" she told him flipping over to the other call.

"Kinkirk Residence"

"Hey Luce" she heard Kevin say on the other line.

"Hey sweetie…how's work?"

She heard him sigh and knew something was wrong 'Is there something wrong?"

"Yes and no" he told her

"What's the good news?" she groaned.

"I hooked Roxanne up with an old partner of mine"

"What?" she asked startled that her husband would do something like that.

"Roxanne was bugging me about you…something to do with meeting her at Pete's tonight"

Lucy's eyes got wide when she realized that she had promised Roxanne she'd meet her. "Oh my god I completely forgot"

"I know…that's why I told her that you and I had plans tonight since the kid's were gone and she didn't get the message…so I had to resort into using an old partner as bait…I set her up with Dylan"

"You didn't!" Lucy laughed.

"I did"

"Kinkirk…what am I going to do with you?" she asked giving him a sly grin over the phone that he couldn't see.

"I don't know but whatever it is you might have to wait a little bit" he said suddenly.

"What do you mean wait a little bit?" she questioned.

"Something came up with a case we were working on…and I have to stay probably another hour or so…"

"Kevin" she started to whine before he cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy sighed, "Alright, I guess I'll see you whenever you get here."

Lucy hung up the phone without saying goodbye; it was an old habit she inherited from her family. Lucy turned around and got back to cooking dinner. When she finally got it in the oven, she ran into her bedroom to get dressed in something a little more sexy, since it was her first night without the twins there in a long time.

**_

* * *

_**

Brad drove carefully down the streets of Stoney Creek he mentally pictured what he would say, do and act when she would open the door to him.

Parking on the side of the road, across from their neighbor's house like he always did. He sat there closing his eyes trying to mentally picture the surprise that would be in store for her…the shock that he wasn't helpless he just wanted her damn necklace.

He reached for his black hooded sweatshirt and pulled it over his black colored t-shirt and got out of the car.

Walking slowly towards her house he started to fake a limp…that way she would feel even more sympathy for him.

Walking up onto her porch he stuck his hand out and rang her doorbell…leaning up against the side of the house pretending to wince in pain.

Lucy was busy getting dressed when she heard the doorbell ring. She couldn't think of anyone who would be out in this weather, so she hurried and rushed to answer it. Once she got there she saw a man favoring his left leg, shivering in the cold. She invited him inside and he stood there dripping in the entry way. Lucy got a towel for him, and waited for an explanation.


	4. Through the burning flames

**A/N: I don't own 7th heaven but I do own the characters that you don't recognize, but I do happen to own George Stults World so don't sue me if you want money because that's something I don't have!**

**A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie)**

**A/N: Thanks to my lovely co-author Betsy (star2717-she happens to write an awesome Harry Potter Fan Fic) and to my beta Sara (Shouhei- who happens to be writing two awesome GG Fan Fics especially a Troy and an awesome 7th Heaven Story as well)**

Kevin sat at his desk filling out paper work as fast as he could. He was desperately trying to get done as early as possible since Lucy was making dinner.

This was the first night alone they'd had in... he couldn't even remember the last night out they had alone. He groaned as the stack of papers seemed to be growing instead of decreasing. Finally, a thought struck him and he looked over at Roxanne.

"Hey, um... do you think you could finish this by any chance?" he asked her sweetly.

She smirked at him, "Why should I?"

"Because I got you a date with Dylan!" he said with his own satisfied grin.

She sighed and waved him away, "Fine, but we're even now. I'll finish everything up."

He expressed his gratitude to his partner and then hurried to his car. If he didn't hit any lights, he'd only be half an hour late. He couldn't wait to see Lucy and surprise her by coming home early.

Lucy seemed excited about cooking him a romantic meal, even though he had tried to coax her into going out to eat. She had insisted, and now that sounded like a good idea since the rain was pouring down.

He didn't know how the weather had gotten so bad, suddenly, and he slowed down a little just to be on the safe side.

* * *

Lucy was digging out in the small bathroom looking for another towel for the poor guy. 

He had just come inside from the pouring rain and was still soaked. He used the one towel that she had given him and it was practically dripping so she had to go and find another one for him.

What she didn't know was that while she was busy looking for another towel he was walking around her house scooping out the place.

Lucy found the man standing in her kitchen, staring at the photographs on her refrigerator with an odd, dazed expression on his face.

It made Lucy feel slightly uncomfortable, but she pushed those feelings aside. Who was she to judge a stranger who came to her in need?

"Hi," she said, smiling and handing him a towel.

"I'm Lucy. Who are you?"

Brad turned to her, and ran his eyes slowly up and down her body. "I'm Brad," he replied, trying with all his might to turn on the charm.

"And I can't thank you enough for letting me in. My car seems to have died from all this rain, and what with my bad leg --" Brad winced a little bit for effect.

"Well, let's just say that it's a good thing there are still some kind strangers left in the world."

Lucy smiled at him. "Well, I have a phone you can use if you need to call for a tow. Sit down, I'll make you a cup of hot tea."

Lucy turned around and began to rummage through the cupboard. "Could I offer you something to eat? I'm afraid we don't have much "adult" food around, but if you want some applesauce or some fruit snacks, we have plenty -- oh!"

Lucy had turned around, teabags in hand, and was shocked to find Brad almost immediately behind her.

"Uh... the table's over there, if you just wanted to sit..." Lucy ducked around him, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

A thought crossed her mind…maybe she should just give him the phone and hope the tow truck would arrive quickly. Brad walked over to the table, but remained standing.

"I don't really think a tow truck would come in this rain." Brad was slowly stroking his hand over the back of one of the high chairs, and Lucy could feel the goose pimples rising all over her body.

Brad turned to look at her, and locked Lucy's eyes with his own. "Although maybe your husband has some sort of emergency privilege -- do cops get first dibs on tow trucks?"

Lucy's stomach felt like it had dropped through the floor. "How did you know Kevin was..." she trailed off, realizing it didn't matter.

She needed to get out of the house. NOW. She bolted towards the kitchen door, the teakettle still in her hands.

Brad moved around the table before she could get there however, and shoved her hard enough to send her flying. Lucy hit the ground with a crack that made her head spin.

Looking up, she could see Brad advancing on her. As he reached down towards her neck, she reacted on pure instinct.

She swung the kettle as hard as she could, taking sick pleasure from the way it connected with his forehead. Cursing, Brad stumbled aside. Lucy scrambled to her feet and tried to flee.

The fall, however, had left her disoriented, and she could barely walk, let alone run. She had barely made it halfway across the kitchen when she felt Brad grab her from behind.

Lucy began to scream, and at that precise moment, a thunder crack exploded outside, and the house plunged into darkness.

* * *

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel he was getting anxious. It had been almost an hour since he had left the police station and now here he was sitting behind tons of cars waiting for the train to get off the tracks. 

He looked at the clock it was already 6:30. Sighing he reached for his cell phone and decided to call Lucy and to let her know that he was on his way but didn't know what time he'd be there.

Hitting the speed dial button he waited for the phone to start ringing but all he heard was _"I'm sorry the number you are trying to reach is not available please try your call again later"_

"Damn" he muttered under his breath and his shut his phone closed. Running his fingers through his hair he got an idea.

Picking up his cell phone he dialed the Camden's home number and waited for someone to pick the phone up.

After the third ring someone finally answered the phone "Hello?"

"Simon? It's Kevin look is Eric or Annie there?"

"Nope sorry they took Abby, Luke, Sam and David to some kiddy movie an hour ago…didn't your wife tell you?" Simon joked.

"I haven't talked to Lucy since 3 this afternoon" Kevin replied shifting his weight in his seat.

"Oh well I talked to her an hour ago and told her the same thing" Simon replied.

"Hmmm I just tried to call a few minutes ago but the phone wasn't working…must be this weather" he replied peering through his windshield at the darkened sky.

"Maybe, but I got another call coming so I'll have to talk to you later" Simon told him.

"All right and if Lucy calls again have her call my cell phone"

"All right" Simon replied clicking over without saying goodbye because like Lucy it was a Camden tradition.

Kevin flipped his phone off and then flipped it on again and hit the speed dial button to his house.

_"I'm sorry the number you are trying to reach is not available please try your call again later"_

"Damn it!" Kevin swore again throwing his closed phone on the passenger side seat.

He started to get anxious…it was starting to bother him that he wasn't able to get through to Lucy. Somewhere deep inside something was stirring and he weren't sure if it was fear or if it was something else.

* * *

Shocked by the darkness, Brad released Lucy and she stumbled forward, her head banging roughly against the edge of the cabinet as she fell. The lights flickered back on, but Lucy remained motionless on the ground. 

Brad was beginning to get frantic. He had just been planning to snatch the cross and run -- why had the stupid girl decided to fight him? He bent down and felt her pulse. At least she was still alive.

Snatching the cross from around her neck and stuffing it into his pocket, Brad tried to fight the feelings of panic. How was he going to make all this look like an accident?

Suddenly, something caught the corner of his eye.

Striding over to the oven, he saw thick black smoke pouring out of the door. Coughing, he opened the oven door, and began to fan the smoke, looking for something to put it out with.

Brad paused. Maybe this was a sign. A lucky break.

Inspired, Brad grabbed the newspaper which had been sitting on the counter and tossed it into the oven. Flames began to lick at the edges of the newspaper, blackening the print.

Just to make sure it worked, Brad grabbed a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. Lighting it, he allowed himself one long inhale before tossing it into the oven.

Brad watched the flames begin to spread out of the oven on to the countertop. He gave a final squeeze to the cross in his pocket before turning to exit the kitchen.

Pausing by Lucy's unconscious figure, he poked her with the toe of his shoe. With a shrug, he headed toward the sliding glass door to exit the house. "Sorry lady."

* * *

Kate Clarkson was humming along to the radio, peeling carrots for the salad she was planning on serving with the pizza warming in the oven. 

"Rose, turn off the TV and wash your hands! Dinner will be ready soon!"

"Ok Mom!" she heard her 13 year old daughter reply.

Picking up the salad bowl, Kate glanced out her kitchen window. She frowned as an unfamiliar man exited from her neighbor's house.

Maybe it was one of Lucy Kinkirk's siblings? Although she was quite friendly with her neighbors, she could never keep track of all the visitors to the Kinkirk residence.

Kate turned around, and suddenly spun back towards the window in an abrupt double take.

Thick, black smoke was pouring out of the side of her neighbor's house. Nearly dropping the salad bowl, Kate dashed over to the phone.

The voice quickly came over the end of the line. "911, what is your emergency?"

* * *

Ben Kinkirk frowned, deep in concentration. Biting his lip, he made a decision. Delicately, he placed a nine of diamonds down on the table. 

"Dammit Kinkirk!"

Ben smiled as Jon Aiken, the firefighter next to him, gave him a sour look before placing a jack of diamonds down and then collecting the small pile of cards in front of him.

Chase Lux and Andrew Elliott, the other firemen at the table, burst into laughter.

"Aw, did you get the queen of spades again, Jonny boy?" mocked Chase.

Ben and Andrew laughed, while Jon just glared. "Last time I ever play Hearts with you three."

Andrew shook his head. "Don't blame us. It's the Hearts wunderkind from Buffalo over here who's putting us all to shame."

"Why do you think I came out here to train?" said Ben, innocently raising his eyebrows.

"I heard that Glen Oak firefighters can't play cards to save their lives."

Chase took a mock swing at him, which Ben easily ducked, chuckling. In actuality, he had come to Glen Oak on the recommendation of his captain back in Buffalo.

They had been participating in forest fire fighting exercises all the previous weekend, an experience Ben could never have in Buffalo.

Ben had avoided telling his brother Kevin that he was going to be in Glen Oak, but now, Ben was thinking he might call Kevin. He was flying back to Buffalo in a few days, and it would be nice to see Kevin and Lucy and his niece and nephew.

His train of thought was interrupted, however, by a siren wailing through the firehouse.

"That's our cue," said Andrew, as all four men jumped to their feet and rushed off to do what they did best.

* * *

Ben took a deep breath, and pulled his mask on under his helmet. As the truck slowed in front of the flaming house, he and the other members of the Glen Oak Fire Company jumped out. 

He surveyed the scene in front of him. Structurally, the house was still together, but it didn't look like that was going to last for very long. Black smoke poured out of the house, and he could see a dull orange glow through the windows that signaled the flames inside.

Thunder and lightning still crackled overhead, but unluckily for them, the rain had let up. Four firefighters began to unload the large hose off of the truck and hook it up to the fire hydrant.

"Kinkirk! You're with me, front door! We're heading in!" Ben jogged over to the side of the Glen Oak fire captain, Phil Seich.

He stood back as Phil broke down the door with an axe, and then entered the smoke filled house behind him.

"Neighbor says there might be two adults and two children in here," yelled Phil, moving towards the living room.

Ben raised his hand to show he had heard Phil, and then moved around a cluster of flames towards the smoke that was spewing out of the kitchen.

Ben was an excellent firefighter, and therefore it didn't take him long to spot the small female form crumpled on the kitchen floor.

Scooping her up, Ben hurried out of the house. He could hear the beams of the house creaking under the intense heat; he knew it wouldn't be too long before the whole structure gave way.

Exiting the front door, he found Andrew standing on the front lawn. Andrew grabbed Ben's shoulder.

"You're the last one out, Kinkirk. They searched the rest of the house, no one else is there."

Ben nodded, struggling to speak through the heavy mask.

"I'm taking her to the ambulance." Andrew nodded, and Ben hurried over to the waiting EMS crew.

Setting the woman down on the stretcher, Ben nearly yelled out in shock when he saw her face. Covered in soot, with several minor burns, was none other than his sister-in-law, Lucy Kinkirk.

* * *

Kevin had managed to put aside his concerns about Lucy for the final few minutes of his drive home. 

The rain had lifted, and Kevin had found a good radio station. Humming along to "Born In the USA,"

Kevin was completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him as he turned onto his street. At first, he thought that he was seeing things.

But as he pulled up in front of his house -- or the charred shell of what had been his house -- he saw several fire trucks and EMS vehicles parked on the street.

Kevin jumped out of his car, barely remembering to turn off the engine.

"LUCY!" Kevin began sprinting towards the house, with only one thing in mind.

He had to save his wife.

"LUCY!"

"Sir, you need to stay out of the way!" A firefighter was trying to hold him back, but Kevin shoved him roughly out of the way.

"My wife is in that house!" Kevin only managed to get two steps closer before he felt someone grab his arm and yank him back.

Spinning around, Kevin got the second shock of the evening as he came face to face with his brother.

"She's on her way to the hospital. Come on, we can hop in the other ambulance, we'll only be about five minutes behind her."

Kevin walked dumbfoundedly behind his brother, still in shock. He didn't even know where to begin his questions.


	5. Ashes and Smoke

**A/N: I don't own 7th Heaven but believe me if I did have the people that were in episodes we didn't really care for never would of happened.**

**A/N: I'm afraid to admit this but I haven't looked at this story for almost 4 months now, but since my co-writer Betsy finally came back from the Dead. She and I were finally able to write another chapter and surprise you all! WoW can all of you believe that you are getting a treat? TWO chapters in TWO different stories out! What more could you ask for?**

**A/N: I love reviews seriously I do...but sadly to say I do love George Stults (and Betsy loves Geoff Stults) more than I love reviews!**

**A/N: pokethepenguin01 – thanks for the heads up I quickly went back to the story and changed things that I had caught but somehow didn't register on !**

**   
**

Even though the ambulance was racing through the streets of Glen Oak, Kevin was sure that the trip was taking hours.

Ben sat across from him, covered in ash and soot, not saying anything. Kevin kept staring at the floor, feeling strangely detached from the situation.

He had just seen Lucy a few hours ago... how was this possibly happening? It was completely unreal.

A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived at the hospital, and Kevin and Ben jumped out, dashing through the sliding doors to the Emergency Room.

Kevin nearly knocked over an elderly couple as he hurried over to the reception desk.

"My wife, she was just brought in here! Lucy Kinkirk, where is she?" Kevin could feel his hands shaking.

The woman behind the desk glanced at her computer screen. "Trauma 2. It's down the hall on your left."

"Thank you!" Kevin yelled over his shoulder, running down the hall as Ben followed. Arriving at the door of the trauma room, though, he was promptly pushed back by a large male nurse.

"I'm sorry sir, I can't allow you to go in there."

"But that's my wife!" Kevin yelled, getting angry. He felt Ben place a hand on his shoulder and start to pull him back.

"Come on, Kevin. Let's give the doctors some space." Kevin glared at the nurse.

The nurse sighed. "Sir, the doctors need to work on your wife. You can wait in the lounge right over there, and you'll be immediately notified when they've stabilized her, alright?"

Kevin shrugged his brother's hand off of his shoulder and stormed over to the plastic chairs.

Ben smiled apologetically at the nurse before joining his brother.

"Hey, man, you know she's gonna be ok." Kevin didn't respond.

Ben studied him for a moment, and then tried again. "You want a cup of coffee or something?"

Kevin shook his head. "No. I just..." Kevin trailed off, and then finally met Ben's eyes.

"Could you call Eric and Annie for me? Tell them to keep the kids at their place and I'll call when I have news?"

"Of course," said Ben. He hesitated for a moment, patted Kevin awkwardly on the shoulder, and then went off to find a phone.

Ben felt like he felt after any fire, as if he had just been run over with a large truck, and then hit a few times with a shovel just for good measure.

His back hurt, his limbs were sore, and every time he breathed he could feel soot shifting around in his lungs. He wanted badly to go back to the station and take a shower, but he didn't want to leave the hospital until he was sure Lucy was ok. That and he needed to make sure Kevin didn't punch anyone on his quest to see his wife.

Reaching the reception desk, Ben smiled politely at the nurse sitting behind it. "Hi. Could I use your phone?"

"Sure," replied the woman, returning his smile and handing over the receiver.

"Thanks," Ben said, thankful as he dialed that he still knew the Camden's phone number by heart. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Hello, Camden residence." Eric's voice filled the line, and Ben took a deep breath.

"Hi Mr. Camden, its Ben Kinkirk."

"Ben!" Eric sounded slightly surprised. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, Mr. Camden, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Ben, what's going on?"

Ben could hear the worry in Eric's voice. He hated having to be the one to break bad news. "I'm here in Gleanoak training with the fire department. We got called out to a fire, and it was Kevin and Lucy's house."

"Oh God," Eric gasped. "Are they...?"

"They're both alive. Kevin wasn't home at the time of the fire, and I got Lucy out before the house collapsed. Unfortunately, she was unconscious and had suffered second degrees and smoke inhalation before we arrived. She's in intensive care right now."

"Tell Kevin that Annie and I will be right there." Eric's voice sounded panicky.

"No, wait! Mr. Camden, Kevin requested that you keep the kids at your house and stay there. He'll call as soon as there's news."

"I -- All right. Ben, tell Kevin that we'll keep the kids for now, and we won't tell them anything. But if we haven't heard anything in a few hours, we're coming to the hospital."

Ben sighed. "Okay. I'll tell him. And Mr. Camden, I know it sounds bad, but your daughter's gonna be ok."

"Thanks for calling us, Ben." Ben hung up the phone, and started to walk back to where Kevin was sitting. Changing his mind, he headed to the cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee first. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Eric hung up the phone still in complete shock.

"Eric? Did you answer the phone?" Annie asked wiping her hands on a dishrag, bring him back down to reality

"What? Oh sorry I...I wasn't paying attention" Eric replied still dazzled as he walked through the kitchen towards the hallway.

"Where are the kids?" Eric asked suddenly stopping in the middle of the hallway.

Annie frowned "Ruthie went to Andrea's house for the day, Simon left us a note saying that he was meeting Amy for dinner in LA and wouldn't be back til tomorrow sometime and I dropped Sam and David off at Mike and Kyle's house just before you got home from church after we had seen Finding Nemo"

Eric gave her an odd look "How did Abby and Luke do?"

Annie frowned again "Fine, they slept most of the day except for when we took them to see Finding Nemo. What's with the 20 questions all of a sudden?" she asked, taking him by surprise.

He shook his head "Nothing...um I'm going to go back to the church to catch up on some church business and uhh...do some digging around to see if we have enough money" he muttered quickly.

"Enough money for what?"

Eric jumped up looking startled. He had only meant to tell part of that statement and not all of it.

"Umm we need money to get new robes for the choir and for the children's choir" He said quickly racing out of the hallway into the door way, grabbed the car keys and his wallet and raced out the front door without bothering to shut it behind him.

Annie scratched the side of her face "What was that all about?" she wondered out loud when she heard a cry coming from upstairs.

* * *

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted Kevin's thoughts. He glanced up to see Ben standing in front of the row of plastic chairs, clutching onto what looked to be the entire stock of the hospital cafeteria.

Ben handed Kevin a sandwich and sat down in the chair next to him. Kevin stared at the sandwich for a moment, and then, realizing he was hungry, unwrapped it and started to eat.

After the two ate in silence for a moment, Ben leaned over and handed Kevin a can of pop. Kevin drank half of it in one sip, and then stared at his brother. "In times of crisis, turn to food?"

Ben shrugged. "It's what I do."

Kevin nodded, and then set down the remaining part of his sandwich. "Ben, what happened? How did the fire start?"

Ben shrugged as he swallowed a mouthful of chips. "Too soon to tell. The neighbor said that there was smoke coming from the kitchen, so it could have been the oven, but we'll need to wait for the fire investigators. Of course, the fact that the rain will destroy most of the evidence won't help matters."

Kevin shook his head. "Lucy would never let something burn in the oven. She's too careful."

Ben sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to blame this on Lucy. It happens to tons of people. They put something in the oven or on the stove, and then the phone rings, or they get caught up watching TV, and next thing you know, there's a fire. I know you don't want to believe she could have done this, Kevin, but 95 of the time that explains what happened."

Kevin was too tired to argue, so he just nodded and took another bite of his sandwich. He wanted to believe his brother. But he had been a cop long enough to know that his instincts rarely ever lead him wrong. And his instincts were telling him that someone else had started that fire.

* * *

Driving towards Stoney Creek was a daunting task for Eric at the moment. First he got a phone call from his son-in-laws brother saying that one of his children was in the hospital because of a fire and not to worry.

How could he not worry? Even though Lucy was married, she was 23 years old and had two wonderful children he still worried about her because he was her father and that's what dads do.

Turning onto Scott Lake Road he watched as a few of the fire trucks roared passed him going the opposite direction he was going.

Where they going to rescue someone else's daughter? Or were they going to make sure a small fire started by a careless child who was playing with matches would be kept under control?

All he knew was that he had something to be thankful that day. That Ben Kinkirk was in Glenoak and managed to rescue one of his daughters.

He crept along the road, determined not to let his mind wander about his daughter lying helplessly in a hospital bed while he couldn't do anything to help her.

Flipping his right hand turn signal on, he pulled into Baybrooke Drive and started towards the end of the street.

He gasped out loud. He would have driven past their house if it had not been for the fact that yellow tape surrounding their entire property. Lucy's Trailblazer still parked where she had left it...except for the fact that it was covered in debris, dirt, muck, and had water still dripping off the bottom.

He pulled his car to the side of the street and put the van into park and got out. He wanted to see what happened to his little girl's dream and see what he could do to fix it.

Checking to make sure that no other cars were coming Eric crossed the street and started to walk up and down the sidewalk hoping to find something of theirs that he could save for them...something that hadn't been damaged.

"Excuse me sir" a women's voice spoke up

"Oh excuse me" Eric replied stepping onto the grass to let a women and her daughter through"

"Isn't that just a tragedy?" the women asked.

Eric nodded his head but wasn't able to say anything.

"And to think" the women continued on "If only that man that had been leaving their house just before it went up in flames would have stayed longer...he might of help Lucy"

* * *

It had only been 20 minutes since Ben had arrived with food, but to Kevin, it felt like hours. When he saw a doctor approaching them, Kevin practically jumped out of his seat.

"Mr. Kinkirk?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Kevin and Ben responded in unison.

Kevin turned to glare at Ben. "I think he means me."

Ben nodded. "Gotcha."

Kevin turned back towards the doctor. "I'm Kevin Kinkirk, Lucy Kinkirk's husband. Is she ok?"

* * *

Annie climbed up the stairs towards Matt's old room where Abby and Luke were taking a nap.

After Mary had baby Charles and Lucy had announced she was pregnant, both her and Eric had decided to turn Matt's old room into the grandchildren's room so they'd have some place to stay when they came over.

Opening the door softly enough just in case one of the twins was still sleeping Annie peeked her head through the door and saw that both of them were awake.

"Hey Lukey, Abby" she cooed to them softly.

"Gamma" Abby squealed with delicate her arms already open so Annie could pluck her from the crib.

"Gamma" Luke echoed stretching his arms out as well.

Annie smiled at both of them and got them out of their cribs and started to walk back into the hallway when she heard the back door slam shut.

She frowned at both of the twins who frowned back at her "Now, who could that be?" she asked them walking towards the stairs.

"MOM? MOM?" she heard someone yell.

"I'm upstairs with the twins" she yelled back walking down the steps carefully since she had both twins in her arms.

"Mom" Ruthie said panting out of breath at the bottom of the stairs.

Annie looked at Ruthie and she could tell by the redness of her face and how she was gasping for air something definitely was wrong.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Haven't you heard?" Ruthie questioned taking Luke out of her mother's arms.

Annie looked confused "Heard what?"

"About the fire!"

"What fire?"

"Here I'll show you" Ruthie replied practically forcing her mother into the family room and flipping on the T.V to the news station.

"Today, only hours ago this house was standing but now it's nothing but ashes and some of the neighbors wonder why" The news anchor women announced as they showed the debris from the burned down house.

"Neighbors say that this family is one of the well liked neighbors around here. What happened today could have been a tragedy but thanks to the Glenoak Fire Department they were able to save someone's life. This is Sarah Leyla reporting for Channel 7 Action News. Back to you Julia and Niles"

Ruthie flipped the T.V off and shifted Luke to her other side and sat down in the chair next to her.

Annie sat on the couch, placing Abby on the floor and staring blankly at the T.V screen.

"Mom?" Ruthie whispered looking a little scared.

Annie gave her head a little shake and looked at Ruthie with a strange expression that kind of scared the younger I need to make a phone call" was all Annie could say before she rushed out of the family room and into the kitchen to grab the cordless phone.

She had a lot of phone calls to make.

* * *

Brad had always been a Shakespeare lover. The comedies, the tragedies... he had read them all. He had even memorized some of the sonnets. But he had never wanted to be reminded of his favorite playwright in the way he was right now.

As the hot water poured furiously from the tap, Brad once again began to rub the soap across his hands. He rubbed, harder and harder and harder, until he could begin to feel his skin peel from the effort.

He closed his eyes, hoping to banish from his mind the image of Lady Macbeth and the blood dripping from her hands. There was no blood on his hands, he told himself.

Just some stupid ash that was refusing to come off. Opening his eyes, he let out a short breath when he caught sight of himself reflected in the mirror hanging above his sink.

His skin was deathly white, flushed only by two red patches on each cheek. His eyes were open far wider than normal, and his pupils were so large that his eyes appeared almost black. He gulped. He had to calm down.

"Brad," he spoke, tasting his own name as he spoke it, and hearing the strange, harsh voice reverberate off the tile.

"Brad," he tried again, and this time his voice was a little closer to normal.

"Brad. Get it together, man. You didn't do anything wrong." Brad leaned a little closer to the mirror, staring into his eyes for extra emphasis.

"You didn't, man. You followed the plan. Quick in, quick out." Without even realizing he was doing it, Brad let the soap drop from his hands, and clutched the edge of the sink.

"You know whose fault this whole thing is?" His eyes darted rapidly from side to side. "It's her fault." He paused. "And you know it."

He was finding his rhythm now. Letting go of the sink, he began to pace the small bathroom. "She was taunting you, man. Letting that cross hang there, all soft, and delicate. Teasing you. Drawing you in. And when you just want to take what's rightfully yours, what does she do?" Brad stopped in front of the mirror, and slowly locked eyes with himself.

"I'll tell you what she does. She puts up a fight. She acts like you're the one doing something wrong! What the hell is wrong with that?" His heart began to pound again, and he squeezed his hands into fists.

"Maybe the real question is what the hell is wrong with her? Can't a guy even use a phone any more without being hit by a damn teakettle? And you know what women like her are like. She won't let this go. Oh, no. She's gonna talk to that husband of hers, to that cop. She's gonna play the poor little victim here, and turn this entire town into a witch hunt against you. Well, listen up, lady. If you try anything funny, you are over. Got it? Got it?? GOT IT?? YOU ARE OVER!"

As Brad screamed out the final words, he drove his fist through the mirror. Glass shattered all over the bathroom floor, stunning Brad into silence. A few moments later, Brad cautiously raised his fist to examine it.

Humming quietly, he turned the taps back on and began to rise the blood off of his hand.


End file.
